Gates open at 5 p.m. Game starts at 7:05 at First Energy Stadium, Reading. Raindate Monday, August 13. Sponsored by Fairlane Village Mall, Vito's Coal Fired, Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau, Schuylkill Mall, R&J Tours, Eastern Press and more. http://reading.phillies.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t522 Tickets for all regular season home games, including the Jimmy Rollins Old School Bobblehead giveaway on July 23, can be purchased online at www.RPhils.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in person at the R-Phils Ticket Office at FirstEnergy Stadium. The 2012 season featuring the Baseballtown All-Star Classic at America's Classic Ballpark is presented by Pepsi     07/22/2012

Valentine's Day Events (Reading, PA) Looking for that special Valentine's Day Event around Reading, PA?  My wife and I have lived here for almost 10 years and have had the pleasure to attend a number of Events for Valentine's Day around Reading, PA.  As owners of a home inspection company in Reading, we try to support other local and small businesses.  There are some unique options around town!  Here are some suggestions:    “Valentine's Day Buffet with your Sweetie” Overlook Mansion Bed & Breakfast; 620 Centre Ave in Reading, PA. On Saturday, February 12 from 5-8PM, you and your sweetie can enjoy a lovely evening by candlelight at this impressive Bed & Breakfast.  Menu will include roasted pork with peach glaze, roasted chicken, vegetable lasagna, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans wi... 02/03/2012

ASHI Home Inspectors (Reading) to discuss Slate Roofing If you are a home inspector around Reading, PA, you are welcomed to join our next Keystone ASHI meeting.  Our next meeting will be held on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at The Inn at Reading. This is for ASHI members.  Non-ASHI members are welcomed to attend as guests. The speaker for this month will be Steve Seifert of All Slate Roofing and he will be presenting on slate roofing. Reading, PA and surrounding still has a number of homes with slate roofing.  As a matter of fact, the most recent rental property I purchased with my wife has a slate roof.  They are quite common around here. Roofing shingle made of slate is great for a number of reasons.  When installed properly, they have a typical lifespan of 80 to 100 years!  Slate has a... 02/02/2012

  HGTV looking for Realtors (Reading, PA)   If you are like me, you can't get enough of the shows on HGTV including the popular House Hunters.  Want to hear some good news?  HGTV is having an open casting call and is looking for Realtors in Reading, PA & Surrounding to be featured on the show and they are coming to Reading tonight, January 24, 2012.  If you miss this date, no worries!  They cast all year round and encourage you to submit an application.   HGTV says they are looking for energetic Reading Realtors who are passionate about helping buyers in their search for a new home to be a part of their House Hunters series.   The show takes viewers on a "tour" with the Realtor and their clients as they view homes and decide which is best suited for their needs.  Viewers are with the bu... 01/24/2012

  "The Home Inspector broke my Water Heater!"About a month ago, I was doing a home inspection near Reading, PA.  A few days later, my wife, Tina, went to pick up the radon canisters I had left behind.  When she arrived at the home, the wife was home with her two kids.  She followed my wife down to the basement and looked upset.  As Tina was closing up the canisters, the wife tells her, "The home inspector broke my water heater!"   Tina knows that in this economy, it's tough to sell a home and sellers are stressed out.  She wasn't quite sure what to tell this woman since she didn't inspect the home and doesn't even know the defects I was reporting on. All she could do was gather more information.  Tina asked her, "What makes you say that?"The woman responds, "Our water heater never leake... 01/10/2012

Oh no!  My Condo failed a Radon Test (Reading, PA) If you read my earlier post Can a Second Floor Condo have Radon?, I had a client call me for a home inspection in Reading, PA, on a second floor condo unit.  They were also concerned about radon and requested a radon test, which turned out to be very smart of them!  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Surgeon General recommend every residence should have a radon test.  Read more about radon by visiting www.epa.gov. The levels for the second floor condo came back high at 7.9pCi/L (picocuries per liter) above the EPA's recommended level of 4.0 pCi/L and under.  The condo failed a radon test and would need to be remediated.  This would open up other issues. If this second floor condo has high levels of radon, that means the same ... 01/03/2012

Beware of the Tenants that Never Complain Tenants that never complain- sounds like every landlord's dream, right?!  Not necessarily. Don't get me wrong.  I don't wish the complainers on anyone.  Any landlord who has had a high maintenance tenant knows the frustration of getting those phone call about every little thing.  However, the other extreme isn't much better.     Let me tell you about my tenants, "Joe" and "Kathy".  They are very nice people, pay their rent on time every month, and I never hear from them.  It's hard to get into the house for a yearly inspection for a number of reasons, so I got lazy about the appointments.  I figured it wasn't a big deal.  I figured they would let me know if anything needed attention.  I figured wrong.   Last month, we had a few big storms come t... 10/24/2011

  Looking for a Rental?  Well, calculate the security deposit and first/last months rent and I'm sure you'll agree that you can OWN this home for less than that rental!      What a great price for this fabulous home. Only $1,100 down and a monthly payment of $433.16 makes YOU the owner of  this beautiful 5 bedroom end unit home. Completely remodeled, you don't have to do anything but pack your bags and move in. The living room is a nice size and there's even a seperate dining room for those holiday guests. The kitchen comes complete with new oak cabinets, newer appliances and a seperate pantry. You don't have to worry about where to put your computer since the home has an office. There's even off-street parking. This home is the complete package. Hurry and call today to schedule an appo... 09/28/2011

My car was hit by a toilet (Reading, PA) Yes, you read that right.  My car was hit by a toilet yesterday.                    Perhaps I should explain...  My wife, Tina, and I have been updating one of our rental homes in Reading, PA the past several weeks and decided to go ahead and update the lovely 1970s powder room on the 1st floor.  I removed the toilet and placed it outside on the front yard while I worked on other things.  My wife arrived a few hours later and decided she was going to try and move it to the curbside for trash pick-up the next day. When I realized she was outside trying to move the toilet, I told her that I would move it later.  My wife is quite the independent woman and said she could take care of it just fine.  She proceeded to roll it down the hill.  I should ex... 09/08/2011

Think about it....when you are looking for a new place to rent the landlord will usually require 1-2 months security deposit and a one bedroom will be at least $500 per month.  Why not purchase this 5 bedroom home and BE the landlord?  What a great price for this fabulous home. For as little as  $1,100 down and a monthly payment of $433.16 YOU can be the owner of this beautiful 5 bedroom end unit home. Completely remodeled, you don't have to do anything but pack your bags and move in. The living room is a nice size and there's even a seperate dining room for those holiday guests. The kitchen comes complete with new oak cabinets, newer appliances and a seperate pantry. You don't have to worry about where to put your computer since the home has an office. There's even off-street parking. ... 08/31/2011

       Attention investors and first time home buyers:  Within the next few days, I will be posting photos for four new listings in the Reading area ranging from $55,000 to $72,000.  These homes will be great starters or investment properties.  New homeowners could easily be paying less for their mortgage payment than they are for rent!  Stay tuned for these: 325 S. 16th St.  $55,000 1506 N. 10th St. $57,000 913 Robeson St. $55,000 1525 Moss St. $72,000     08/14/2011

1022 Moss Street Reading, PA 2 bedroom, 1 bath- cute home- Great starter home or investment property. You could own this home for less than paying rent!  Why pay your landlord when you can BE the landlord? $43,000 08/09/2011

634 N. 2nd Street Reading PA Pack your bags and move right into this huge 5 Bedroom Home that has been completely renovated from top to bottom. The new kitchen with oak cabinets is perfect for the cook in the family. A new range/oven and refrigerator is included. Enjoy your family gatherings in the large dining room or sit and watch TV in the cozy living room. There are hardwood floors throughout and new vinyl windows to cut down on heating bills. The bedrooms are all nice sizes with lots of closet space. Why rent when you can own this home for very little money and a monthly mortgage payment  as low as 477? Hurry and make an appointment to see this beautiful home today! Financing is available!!! Call me today, I'd love to show you this property! 07/25/2011

Welcome to Ralph's Weekly Feature: Two Truths and a Lie: Guess Which One Is The Lie? Each week, I'm going to feature one Active Rain Member, with their photo, and what they are going to do is tell you 2 Truths about them and 1 Lie. The object of the game is to guess which of the 3 bits of trivia about them is a lie! Each new game will be posted on Sunday, and then the answer will be revealed by the featured member a week later on the following Sunday. It's a great way to get to know your fellow ActiveRain members and staff. This week, we will be featuring: David Artigliere   David is an ASHI Certified Home Inspector with ARTI Home Inspections, LLC, based out of the Reading, Pottstown, Norristown, Philadelphia, areas of Pennsylvania. Whether you are a 1st time homebuyer or seasoned inves... 05/11/2011

By: WFMZ in Allentown Big plans for Reading's riverfront are still flowing, but funding has all but dried up. The RiverView project was unveiled in Reading in 2008. "We're still here, four years later," said James Burdge, Giannasca Development Group's chief operating officer. RiverView is the multi-billion dollar brainchild of Giannasca, which boasts other successful commercial projects in Baltimore's Inner Harbor and in Miami. But so far, there's been no change to the landscape along the Schuylkill River in Reading. "For a while now, the commercial financing markets for real estate developments like [RiverView] has been dried up," Burdge explained. Not much has changed as far as the physical plans that were unveiled four years ago. Giannasca still wants to develop 110 acres along the ... 05/10/2011

Alebrije- Best Mexican Restaurant (Reading, PA)   It's Cinco de Mayo and as much as my wife and I love Mexican food, we've never been to a restaurant on Cinco de Mayo until tonight.  Some friends invited us out to what we consider the best mexican restaurant in Reading, PA- Alebrije.         The food is cheap!  My wife always gets the 3 chicken enchiladas for $5.99 and I get a combo meal for under $9. What we especially like about their best Mexican dishes is the fact that they use white meat chicken in their enchiladas and burritos.When you can have good food for such a reasonable price, it's hard to complain!           Things were a little crowded tonight (being Cinco de Mayo)!  We were lucky to get the last parking spot and even luckier that our friends made reservations because the... 05/05/2011

ASHI Home Inspectors - Foundation Repairs (Reading, PA)   Attention Home Inspectors in Reading, PA & surrounding!  Foundations are one of the biggest concerns our clients can have during a Home Inspection. As Home Inspectors, we need to be able to inform our clients on what their repair options and costs might be.  Don't miss the Keystone ASHI Home Inspectors meeting on Monday, May 2, 2011 where we'll be discussing Foundation Repairs!     As a Home Inspector in Reading & surrounding, I have clients that want to know if a certain crack is "OK" or perhaps they don't see the foundation wall is bulging until I point it out.  Just this year, I was inspecting a home where the right side was literally sinking into the ground and splitting the home!  The buyer walked away from that deal, but no... 05/01/2011

  "Do I Really Need a Home Inspector?" Reading, PA   Chances are - YES!   I met a guy named Ron last week who was telling me he opted out of getting a Home Inspector for the Reading, PA home he was buying back in 2005.   After just several months in the home, he noticed the walls on the top level of his split level had separated from the ceiling and left a big gap of about an inch or more in some places.  What happened was the footer for the home was above the frost line so when it was cold enough, the foundation wall lifted up.  When he was buying the home, he did not notice the signs and it ended up costing him thousands of dollars in repairs.  Ron said he would never make that mistake again and stated, "I really needed a Home Inspector, but I didn't know this back then.  I learned my... 04/06/2011

Doggie Spring Fever at Antietam Lake in Reading   Before I get into this story, let me just tell you that Buster is our very first dog.  We adopted him from the Humane Society of Berks County last May and he's approximately 5 years old.  It's a long story about his conquered fear of water, but the short of it is- a play date with a Husky mix quickly got him over that fear. This past Saturday, I was supposed to do a property inspection in Reading, PA on an 8 unit but the Buyer ended up postponing it due to some contract issues.  Since it happened to be a beautiful, sunny day in the mid 50s,  I figured this might be the perfect day to go for a hike with my wife, Tina, and our dog, Buster.   We pile into the car and get to Antietam Lake in Reading in the early afternoon.  There is a trail ... 03/14/2011

Berks County Sheriff's Sales- What's Next? Berks County Sheriff's Sales are on the 2nd Friday of every month.     Once you are the lucky bidder on a property and have purchased it, what's next?  You might need a Home Inspection.  If you do not want a full Home Inspection, David Artigliere with ARTI Home Inspections LLC is one of the few inspectors in the area that will offer Hourly Consulting if you just need a few things looked at.  Perhaps you are concerned about the roof or a large crack or need a professional opinion on what things might cost to repair or replace in the property.  He also provides 203K Consulting, Wood-Infestation Inspections and Environmental Testing.  He doesn't do any repair work, so his inspections are completely unbiased and not fueled by trying to secure a reh... 03/07/2011